Loop guide for dial looper



y 1960 c. B. CROCKER ETAL 2,943,585

LOOP GUIDE FOR DIAL LOOPER Filed. Jan. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.1

INVENTORS George B. Crocker Emile J. De Leo G. B. CROCKER ETAL 2,943,585

July 5, 1960 LOOP cums FOR DIAL LOOPER' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1957 FIG. 2

nn-niu ulqulj INVENTORS George B. Crocker Emile J. De Leo W ATTORNEY United States Patent 7 2,943,585 Loor GUIDE FOR DIAL LOOPER George B. Cracker, 2918 W. 31st St., Brooklyn, N.Y., and Emile J. De Leo, Garrabrant Ave., Bloomfield, NJ.

Filed Jan. 18, 1951, Ser. No. 634,900

Claims. (Cl. 112-26) This invention relates to dial looper machines and more particularly, to a novel guide for properly positioning the loops on the dial points and retaining the loops thus positioned during the joining stitch formation.

As is well-known to those skilled in the art, a dial looper is a sewing machine for joining pieces of knitted fabric to each other. For example, it is used to join sleeves and collars to the bodies of sweaters. The dial looper comprises a series of work-supporting elements, commonly called points, on which the loops of the work to be united are impaled and advanced past the sewing mechanism, usually comprising a reciprocatory thread needle and a looper. The work-supporting points are in dial formation so that they constitute an endless series and, in use, pieces of work are successively placed on the work points and, to prevent fouling of the thread after one piece of work has passed the sewing mechanism and before the next piece of work has reached the sewing mechanism, means are provided for continuing the nor mal formation of stitches. In other words, it is necessary that a chain of stitches be formed between each two successive pieces of work operated upon. Hence, the term chaining-off.

In using a dial looper, the terminal loops of the body yarn are manually placed on the points of the dial looper. The garment section, or opposite terminal portion to be joined to the first section is then placed on the dial points in the same manner.

In addition to positioning the sections on the dial looper, the operator must also make sure the loops are pushed fully onto the'points and properly aligned for passage of the chain stitch needle therethrough. The amount of time and attention required for these operations seriously limits the output of the dial looper.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel guide is provided for pushing the loops fully onto the points, and retaining them so positioned during the chain stitch sewing operation.

More particularly, this guide comprises an element such as a roller or spring, mounted adjacent the dial or ring supporting the points and at a point in advance of the sewing needle. The undersurface of this element is arranged to progressively engage and move inwardly along the upper surface of each point to push the loops thereon inwardly along the point.

When a roller is used, it is formed with bevelled edges on its, periphery to accommodate any slight displacement of the points out of a common plane. The roller is adjustable "about an axis parallel to and spaced from its axis of rotation to position the roller guide surface radially relative to the dial.

When the guide element is a spring, the latter is bowed and elongated along the direction of movement of the points, and the tension of the spring is made accurately adjustable so that the spring will give to prevent any point breakage. The spring is a leaf spring having a lower edge engageable with the upper surfaces of the Patented July 5, 1960 points and movable progressively inwardly therealong. Toaccommodate displacement of the points out of a common plane, the under edge of the spring is relieved upwardly for a distance from its leading edge.

Preferably, the guide element is mounted on the leading end of the arcuate fabric guard usually provided on dial loopers to engage the fabric beneath the points. In further accordance with the present invention, the innner edge of this guard is cut back or recessed for a distance from its leading end to provide an arcuate surface more widely spaced from the dial periphery. This arcuate surface merges with the usual arcuate surface through the medium of a sloping transition surface.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the supporting stand and dial of a dial looper, the overhanging bracket arm for the dial being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, with the dial in crosssection;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one form of the invention loop positioning guide;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a partial plan view of the dial looper illustrating the guide attached thereto;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Figs. 7 and 8 are plan views of different forms of leaf spring guides; and

Fig. 9 is a View on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

By way of example, a dial looper of the known type more fully illustrated and described in US. Patents No. 2,050,563 of August 11, 1.936, and No. 2,167,104 of July 25, 1939, is shown in the present drawings to illustrate the application of the invention and, as the present invention is not concerned with the specific construction of machines of this type, a detailed description of the same is unnecessary here. Suffice it to say, the machine comprises a base 20 formed with suitable bearings for a main drive shaft 21 to which power is supplied from a suitable source by means of a pulley 22 under the control of a clutch mechanism 23. The base has a rigid overhanging arm 24 and supported from said arm is a guard 25 on the usual bed plate in which is rotatably supported a sectional ring member 26 formed on its under face with a ring gear 27. Meshing with this ring gear is a gear (not shown), driven from a shaft 28 which, in turn, is driven by a shaft 29 through gears 31, 31. Shaft 29 is driven from main shaft 21 by gears 32, 33.

clamped in the ring 26 is the circular series of worksupporting pins or points 3 4 and, in the present type of machine, these points will be successively and continuously rotated and advanced past the thread needle 35, which is adapted to be reciprocated lengthwise of the work points by link 36 connected to the needle arm 37 and to an eccentric 38 on the shaft 21. A lateral or step-over movement of the needle, which is necessary by reason of the continuous rotation of the work points, is effected by a lever 39 provided at one end with a cam roller running in a cam-way 40' on shaft 21 and pivotally attached at its opposite end to an extension 41 of the needle arm whereby the latter can be shifted back and forth on the shaft 42 on which said needle arm is pivoted.

Each time the needle 35 is advanced, a loop is formed in the thread by the looper 43, and this loop is retained on the looper during the retraction of the needle and until the next succeeding advance movement thereof, at which time the needle on the succeeding stroke passes through the previously formed loop and removes the latter from the looper so that, when the needle is again retracted,

complete withdrawal of the thread through the work is prevented, and the stitch formed. As is understood, however, during this second retraction movement of the needle, the looper again picks off another loop which is retained thereon pending the next advance of the needle. The movements required of the looper in performing these operations are imparted thereto by cams 44 on the. shaft 29, the looper being reciprocable in its support 45 to permit it to partake of these required movements.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, a roller bearing 70 is provided to push loops 55 of the fabric fully onto the points 34 for proper coaction with needle 35, looper 43 and chain stitch finger 46. As best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, roller 70 is rotatably mounted on the leading end of the usual fabric guard 60 comprising an arcuate arm 61 concentric with dial ring 26. Arm 61 has its inner edge out back to form a narrow extension 62 on its leading end, an intermediate wider portion 63, and a trailing fabric guiding and holding extension 64. Extension 64 has a flat upper surface, engaging the undersurface of the points, and a bevelled undersurface 65.

The forward end of extension 62 has a pivot screw 66 threaded thereinto and eccentrically mounting the roller bearing 70. The eccentric mounting of the roller bearing provides for adjustment of the extent of the periphery of bearing 70 inwardly of extension 62. Roller bearing 70 has bevelled peripheral edges.

Arm 61 is supported by a bracket 67 adjustably secured to the arm, at the trailing end of portion 63, by a screw 68. Bracket 67 has slots 71 in its other end receiving screws adjustably securing the bracket to base 20. A set screw 73, threaded into bracket '67, provides for limited vertical adjustment of the bracket relative to base 20.

Portion 63 of arm 61 adjustably carries an angle bracket 75 having its base secured to portion 63 by screws 74. The vertical leg of bracket 75 extends beyond portion 63 and has a depending ear 76 projecting behind extension 64. Ear 76 has a square aperture 77 therein.

In operation, fabric guard 60 is adjusted along the periphery of dial ring 26 until aperture 77 is radially aligned with needle 35. Bracket 67 is adjusted relative to base 20, and arm 61 is adjusted relatively to the bracket, until the inner arcuate edge of extension 64 is spaced from dial ring 26 by substantially the thickness of the fabric having loops 55 superposed on points 34. This adjustment is completed by loosening pivot screw 66 to adjust roller bearing 70 to engage loops 55 and move them inwardly on points 34. The height of arm 61 is set, so that the upper surface thereof is substantially against the lower sides of points 34. In this position, the inner edge of extension 62 and of the forward part of portion 63 is uniformly spaced a short distance from the periphery of dial ring 26.

As dial ring 26 is rotated, advancing points 34 with loops 55 thereon toward needle 35, roller 70 engages the loops 55 above the points to press the loops toward surface 78. The fabric moves parallel to the inner edge of extension 62 and of the forward part of portion 63. The fabric below the points then engages a sloping ramp section 80 forming a transition section joining the radially offset inner edges of extensions 62 and 64, and intermediate the ends of portion 63, and is thereby pushed toward the dial. The fabric is held firmly toward the dial by extension 64 extending from the radially inner end of cam or ramp section 80.

The bevelled edge of extension 64 is continued along the inner edge of portion 63. This bevelled edge slopes downwardly and outwardly from points 34, acting as a fabric guard.

As loops 55 are smoothly guided inwardly along points 34 by roller bearing 70, and retained thus positioned until past needle 35, the pushing-in of loops 55 does not require manual attention of the operator, who is thus 4 free to concentrate on placing new pieces of fabric on the points and removing joined pieces therefrom.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, a plate 81 secured to the leading end of guard 60 carries a bowed leaf spring secured to posts 82. The lower edge of spring 85 engages the upper surface of the points to push loops 55 inwardly therealong. Spring 85 has some give to prevent binding of the loops, the spring tension being controlled by a poundage spring 83 secured at one end to a post 84 and having its opposite end'engaged by an adjustment screw 86 threaded through a bracket 87 on plate 81. Spring 83 is bowed against spring 85 and controls the tension thereof.

Figs. 8 and 9 show an alternative arrangement of a spring guide element for loops 55. Referring to these figures, a leaf spring 90 has its leading end secured to a post 91 on the leading end of guard 60. Spring 90 is bowed toward the dial and its other end extends between rollers or pins 92 on a bracket 93 adjustable transversely of guard 60 by a screw 94 threaded through a bracket 96 on the guard. As best seen in Fig. 9, the lower edge of spring 90 is cut away or recessed, as at 95, to accommodate any displacement of the points out of a common plane. A sloping transition surface 97 connects surface to the lower edge 98 of spring 90, edge 96 engaging the upper surface of the points.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a dial looper having a base and a sewing needle, with the base movably supporting index means having an outer surface and carrying a plurality of points projecting from its outer surface and arranged to have terminal loops of knitted fabric pieces placed thereon, the index means carrying the points progressively past the sewing needle for stitching the loops to each other, and a fabric guard in the form of an elongated member extending along and parallel to the outer surface of said index means and having a leading end substantially in advance of the needle, relative to the direction of movement of the index means, and a trailing end beyond the needle in such direction of movement, said guard engaging the fabric below the points to push the fabric toward the outer surface of the index means; a loop positioning guide comprising an element mounted on the leading end of said fabric guard in slightly spaced relation to the outer surface of said index means in a position in advance of the sewing needle; said element having a lower surface substantially parallel to the general plane of the points and engageable with the upper surfaces of the points, and said element having a surface perpendicular to said lower surface facing the outer surface of said index means and sloping inwardly toward the outer surface of said index means in the direction of movement of the points to engage the loops above the points and move the loops inwardly along the points in advance of the sewing needle.

2. A loop positioning guide as claimed in claim 1 in which said element comprises a roller.

3. A loop positioning guide as claimed in claim 1 in which said element comprises a roller; means rotatably mounting said roller on the leading end of said guard; said means being adjustable on said guard to provide for adjustment of the axis of rotation of said roller relative to the index means.

4. A loop positioning guide as claimed in claim 1 in which said element comprises a leaf spring mounted on the leading end of said guard and sloping rearwardly and inwardly toward said index means and having a lower edge surface engageable with the upper surfaces of the points; and means for adjusting the tension of said spring.

5. A loop positioning guide as claimed in claim 2 in which said roller has a bevelled peripheral lower edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Brown Jan. 23, 1900 Davis May 9, 1911 

